The Associated Press
Last Updated: February 18, 2004, 05:43:00 PM PST
LAWRENCE, N.J. (AP) - When you gotta go, you gotta go. But you can't always, at least not here. Some middle school students are avoiding soft drinks, water and other liquids during school hours for fear of an urgent need to answer nature's call.
Under a new policy at the Lawrence Middle School, seventh- and eighth-graders are allowed to leave class for the bathroom a maximum of 15 times a month. As a result, some are afraid to use up their bathroom passes too quickly and end up with a full bladder and nowhere to go.
The pass system went into effect last month as a way to monitor the school restrooms and stop students from skipping class. It is the latest in a series of disciplinary measures school administrators have taken in response to behavioral problems that have included bomb threats.
School officials defend the policy as a way to ensure safety, security and order. But some parents say the system goes too far. The right to go to the bathroom, they say, is a health and civil rights issue and as taxpayers, they think it is a freedom they pay for.
"When my son Matthew used all his passes, he was then told he couldn't go to the bathroom," parent Susan Gregory told The Times of Trenton. "We called the school and were told the bathroom is a privilege, not a right. Then we were told if a child has to go to the bathroom more than three times a day, we need (to bring them) a doctor's note.
"This is utterly ridiculous. Now my son doesn't want to go to the bathroom at school," she said. "He says he won't drink or he'll hold it until he gets home. This can't be healthy."
Urologists say the practice can lead to infections and incontinence.
"Common sense tells you the policy doesn't make any sense," said Dr. Christopher S. Cooper, an associate professor of urology at the University of Iowa who specializes in pediatric urology. "When children need to go, they should be allowed to go. It isn't good to hold it in or drink less fluids. It could have long-term effects on a child's health."
Cooper, the leader of a landmark study that looked at the problems tied to limiting bathroom access for children in elementary schools, said between 7 and 15 percent of 7-year-olds have bladder problems. As children age, their bladders develop and they can control them better, but older children can still have trouble that can be made worse by limiting bathroom access.
"I see lots of junior high kids every day who have problems with urinary tract infections from not voiding frequently enough," he said. "There is also an epidemic of constipation because kids are not consuming enough fluids."
While Cooper acknowledges teachers need uninterrupted time to teach, and that some students ask for a bathroom pass to skip class, he says a student who sits in class trying to restrain the desire to urinate will be distracted and won't be able to pay attention to the lesson.
Principal Nancy Pitcher thinks the policy offers students ample opportunities to use the bathroom. She said it was a necessary step to guarantee the safety of her students and encourage learning. The high school implemented a similar system the previous year.
"We wanted some control of students in terms of who was going in and out of the bathrooms," she said. "The students have 15 opportunities out of 20 to 22 days in the month to use the bathroom pass, and another 15 to go wherever else they need to go. That is quite a few times."
Last Updated: February 18, 2004, 05:43:00 PM PST
LAWRENCE, N.J. (AP) - When you gotta go, you gotta go. But you can't always, at least not here. Some middle school students are avoiding soft drinks, water and other liquids during school hours for fear of an urgent need to answer nature's call.
Under a new policy at the Lawrence Middle School, seventh- and eighth-graders are allowed to leave class for the bathroom a maximum of 15 times a month. As a result, some are afraid to use up their bathroom passes too quickly and end up with a full bladder and nowhere to go.
The pass system went into effect last month as a way to monitor the school restrooms and stop students from skipping class. It is the latest in a series of disciplinary measures school administrators have taken in response to behavioral problems that have included bomb threats.
School officials defend the policy as a way to ensure safety, security and order. But some parents say the system goes too far. The right to go to the bathroom, they say, is a health and civil rights issue and as taxpayers, they think it is a freedom they pay for.
"When my son Matthew used all his passes, he was then told he couldn't go to the bathroom," parent Susan Gregory told The Times of Trenton. "We called the school and were told the bathroom is a privilege, not a right. Then we were told if a child has to go to the bathroom more than three times a day, we need (to bring them) a doctor's note.
"This is utterly ridiculous. Now my son doesn't want to go to the bathroom at school," she said. "He says he won't drink or he'll hold it until he gets home. This can't be healthy."
Urologists say the practice can lead to infections and incontinence.
"Common sense tells you the policy doesn't make any sense," said Dr. Christopher S. Cooper, an associate professor of urology at the University of Iowa who specializes in pediatric urology. "When children need to go, they should be allowed to go. It isn't good to hold it in or drink less fluids. It could have long-term effects on a child's health."
Cooper, the leader of a landmark study that looked at the problems tied to limiting bathroom access for children in elementary schools, said between 7 and 15 percent of 7-year-olds have bladder problems. As children age, their bladders develop and they can control them better, but older children can still have trouble that can be made worse by limiting bathroom access.
"I see lots of junior high kids every day who have problems with urinary tract infections from not voiding frequently enough," he said. "There is also an epidemic of constipation because kids are not consuming enough fluids."
While Cooper acknowledges teachers need uninterrupted time to teach, and that some students ask for a bathroom pass to skip class, he says a student who sits in class trying to restrain the desire to urinate will be distracted and won't be able to pay attention to the lesson.
Principal Nancy Pitcher thinks the policy offers students ample opportunities to use the bathroom. She said it was a necessary step to guarantee the safety of her students and encourage learning. The high school implemented a similar system the previous year.
"We wanted some control of students in terms of who was going in and out of the bathrooms," she said. "The students have 15 opportunities out of 20 to 22 days in the month to use the bathroom pass, and another 15 to go wherever else they need to go. That is quite a few times."
